Chapter 18
Nightfall came and went with Ariana’s warning not to go out at night, a rule that didn’t apply to Merope and they didn’t want to ask why.
The boys invaded Hermione’s bed, one on each side and caressing her body softly. She had expressed very firmly that she needed to rest after the picnic.
The tension in her body, watching the boys take the little girls on a ride on their brooms, worried about them falling and the ominous presence of Voldydoll next to her because it was her turn to babysit, got her nerves frayed and tired her horribly. So after chidding them they fell asleep, cuddling her on each side.
The next morning they hit the road Jack
“NO!” said Ariana from the front of the party leading the march. Hermione snorted at the face of the others around them, good, the boys couldn’t read her mind like Ariana.
They walked in easy company, enjoying the open pasture. Fred was ecstatic to be outdoors and under the sun. He played with Merope, running, levitating her. At one point he distributed sweets that he had on his picnic basket, Hermione knew better so, didn’t accept.
Mery had tresses sprouting vertically all around her face with white ribbons at the end of each like Cindy Lou Who and the sun combined, Ariana had a mohawk and Regulus’ locks became black feathers. He conjured a mirror to look at himself, preening like a bird and looking devilish handsome, Mery laughed like a bell, clear and full of joy, Hermione was worried for Ariana’s reaction, she didn’t think the girl would appreciate pranks on her or being a victim of someone’s magic, but Merope looked so happy that Ariana’s frown fell from her face and a corner of her lips pulled slightly up.
Fred saw his success and ran with it teaching Merope, who was Ariana’s weakness, a new song. All of their way to their new destination was Fred and Merope singing The Proclaimers with Regulus and Hermione joining with on the second “ah-hah”
I'm on my way from misery to happiness today
Ah-hah (ah-hah) ah-hah (ah-hah)
I'm on my way from misery to happiness today
Ah-hah (ah-hah) ah-hah (ah-hah)
They were on the second verse of should I stay or should I go when they arrived at their destination, once she saw the door, the rest of their surroundings changed, The black and dimmed hallway, black reflective tiles. Her vision tunneled, she started shaking, Ariana held Merope back watching Hermione with worried, knowing eyes, Fred came running to her and crouched in front of her, when did she fall on the floor? Trying to talk her out of her fit.
Regulus was at a lost, he didn’t know where they were and why it caused such a reaction on Hermione, Fred seemed to know and Ariana too, then the lift stopped behind them and an automatic voiced said “ Department of Mysteries”, it clicked, Dolohov almost killed her here and Narcissa did kill her here. He sat behind her and started to guide her breathing like he did at the quidditch pitch. Fred, in front of her, took out his wand and casted a cooling charm on her wrists while they shared a look over her head, understanding that this was their job, they existed to be there for her.
until she eventually left them behind.
After she calmed, Ariana spoke with regret in her voice “I didn’t know today was a DoM day, I apologize Hermione, according to the day he has two punishments, as he calls them, it’s his way of repenting for no protecting his son”
Hermione was numb, and held on to Fred as she did in those occasions when she visited his resting place, she croaked “what is his other punishment ?”
“Living with the Dursleys”
______________
The door opened directly to the hall of prophecies but there was no one in sight, there was whispering from the crystal balls surrounding them and a distorted, high pitched sound, she’ll recognize that sound and feeling everywhere, the numbness in her body left her, replaced by rage, she whirled on Ariana with her wand out.
“Where did you bring me? What else is hidden here?”
“Woah!” Fred reacted looking for help from Regulus , Help that never came, Regulus was trained in the dark arts, Regulus recognized this feeling too, he felt like drowning, Horcruxes
‘It’s not her fault” screeched Merope, crying and holding Tommy in one hand , she stepped in front of Ariana shielding her from Hermione's wand “this is not her Journey, it’s yours, you led us here where evil is, you led us to the mean man”
Hermione dropped her arm and looked into Merope’s eyes. She was so regretful, the little girl was happy, freely enjoying the day and now Hermione scared her. She looked apologetically to Ariana who looked understanding.
“I’m sorry” she coughed “Ariana, Mery, I’m sorry for reacting like that I… this is not a good place for me, this is not a task I wanted to ever revisit” she was crying again “I’m sorry for scaring you Mery, and you Ariana for acting like that”
Ariana observed for a moment and gave her a tight nod “This place doesn’t bring the best on people. Mery and Tommy shouldn’t be here to presence what you have to do, We’ll meet you on the other side”
“What's going on?” Fred was freaked out
“We’re in the hall of prophecies in the Department of Mysteries, here is where we were ambushed by death eaters in fifth year”
“Where Dolohov attacked you and Sirius died, you spent a month on the hospital wing”
“You remember”
“I asked Lee to check on you and send you sweets, he told me your night table was bursting with them and books so I sent….”
“the remember ball pendant, to remind me of my potions… it was you”
He smiled bashfully
Regulus coughed, asking her to come back to the topic at hand. He was happy for her and for Fred too, he couldn’t imagine the elation she felt to discover there was something before the bond, he also admired Fred for taking care of her, he didn’t know why he couldn’t do it himself but he guessed they would tell him sooner or later.
“Right uhmm… There is something else in the room, something evil, I’m almost sure of what it is and for Regulus' reaction , he does too but I don’t know exactly what is going on. We should look for him first, see what he is doing”
“Who is it then?” they asked
“James Potter”
Regulus grinded his jaw, Fred had an astonished face
“Should we each take a corridor and blow green sparks when we find him?”
“No need, I think I know exactly which row he is in”
______
James Potter had a complicated end of life, and a complicated eternity. He didn’t know many people in his situation, he didn’t even know if this plane worked as a neighborhood, a building, an archipelago. Did he have neighbors? Was there someone up or down ? Or was he floating with no bridge to the mainland?
He hadn’t gotten used to being alone this past number of years.
Living in hiding with Lily and Harry at the beginning was a blessing, they enjoyed their little son together, but after months passed and the war raged, the confinement, the anxiety, the regret and the pain ruined their relationship, they existed and they coped with their forced proximity but the love they used to have for one another left them, they stayed together and strong protecting Harry, hoping that when the war ended they could go their own way and find happiness elsewhere, always thinking of Harry, but that day never came.
They died together, and together they came to eternity, spending their days suffering the misery of his friends on earth.
He lived the pain and torture of transforming under the full moon every night, Lily was attacked by dementors without a way to defend herself, every long day was anguish with the looming knowledge that at nightfall they would both suffer. They knew this didn’t have to be like this, every time someone visited they described other kinds of tasks, less painful, but they felt guilty of the hurt their loved ones endured alone.
They received Sirius, Dumbledore and Remus. When Severus came knocking he met only with Lily. Lily’s regret for ‘abandoning’ Severus and all the what if she asked herself around her relationship with Snape were the reasons she could release herself from the punishment and she stopped suffering the Azkaban nights. When Harry didn’t stay for long she could finally move on.
James didn’t want to move on, he failed Harry and because of that his son had suffered all of his life.
He also asked himself what if, what if Lily had never acknowledged him? What if the prophecy never targeted them? What if he had been better to Peter and to Snape? It wasn’t fair, his life was too short, the regrets were plenty, so he didn’t move on and his punishment changed. Now he spent his days destroying crystal balls and being consumed by the dark magic of these artifacts that no one had the civility to explain to him and he didn’t know if this hurt more than being a child with the Dursleys.
He wasn’t in a hurry today. He had tried breaking the crystal balls in different order, or not breaking them, used the artifacts against the balls and the balls against the artifacts, nothing changed, so he would work out, run around, played tic tac toe, and now he laid on the floor contemplating his regrets and his anger with the world when … steps? A visit? Please don’t be Harry, please don’t be Harry.
“Hello? Mr Potter?” a woman, his age or older was walking his way, she looked pale, and scared
“James”
“Regulus? How are you here? I thought you arrived before me. Weren’t you at a quidditch pitch?”
“I did, I was, now I’m on an adventure with my friends here” Regulus said pointing to the short girl, was she ok? And a tall Redhead lad.
“Are you related to Gideon and Fabian Prewet?”
“Yes, they were my uncles. I never met them, they died in the first war, Fred Weasley…
“Pleasure”
“...and this is Hermione Granger”
He froze, the woman had her hand extended to greet him but so much sadness invaded him that he couldn’t react, he choked
“Oh! Mr Potter, please don’t worry, Harry is not here, he is safe and alive and last I saw him happy”
“No, it’s not that…” he coughed trying to regain his composure “I mean, I’m glad Harry is ok and that you can confirm it but if he were dead I would have been there to receive him, it’s just… They talked so much about you, Sirius, Dumbledore and Remus, hell even Snape according to Lily. I know how important you were for him and knowing he lost someone close to him yet again…”
“Oh, please Mr Potter” she interrupted, he was losing his voice and she touched his arm to calm him “I’m not exactly dead, what do you say if we sit for a moment?”
They transfigured some crystal balls in arm chairs and couches, she conjured her bluebell flames and with her new magic they were big and powerful, It looked like daylight.
“Maybe this is a good moment to bring you all up to date. In fifth year Harry had a vision…”
The three men nodded, good this part would go faster, she didn’t go into details, she had a long story to tell when she talked about Sirius’s death Regulus interrupted.
“It was here then, when Dolohov cursed you, your scar…” he seemed to remember they were in public and stopped sending a look at Fred and James to see if they heard his faux pas.
“I don’t care about your scar Hermione, I…” Fred swallowed “I’ve seen it”
“You have seen my scars…” Hermione looked worried and held her left forearm, they clocked it
“I’ve seen the scar from Dolohov’s curse. We came running when we learned, you were on the floor unconscious and Andromeda was trying to patch you up, I… I carried you to the floo”
“I didn’t know that, and I don’t know what to say”
James, feeling the tension tried to steer the conversation “I still can’t believe he sent Death Eaters against children , Remus and Sirius said you were brilliant, all of you I mean” it’s been a long time since he had a conversation with real people, it was showing.
She gave him a small smile, she looked better but was shivering, he sent a warming charm
“Thank you” … “after that came Dumbledore’s lessons, we learned what a Horcrux was, pieces of Voldemort’s soul were hidden in these objects and rendered him immortal as long as they were unharmed, and I think that’s what we have to find here”
“Horcrux?” asked James wearily, sadly, the inevitability of his death was now clear, they never had the chance “ the dark artifacts around here? The cup, the tiara..”
“Hufflepuff’s cup, Ravenclaw’s diadem, Slytherin's locket, Tom Riddle's Diary, Nagini, the Gaunt’s ring and Harry”
“Seven?” Regulus asked standing up, the gravity of what that monster did, he paced loosening his hair from his bun and passing his fingers through his hair “I thought it was only the one, I died and didn’t even make a dent on his life”
“You tried Regulus, you have an Order of Merlin posthumously actually”... “But I have to be honest you made things quite difficult for us”
She told them about the Ministry, and the camping, she told them about the capture at Malfoy Manor but didn’t say much, they understood that it wasn’t the right time, she told them about Gringotts, the diadem, Nagini and Harry
James was simmering in rage, it was obvious that Dumbledore didn’t tell them anything about Harry being a Horcrux and If Snape told Lily anything she didn’t think of telling him.
She felt very tired after that, the cavernous place they were at, reviving the memories and trying to be tactful with James Potter’s grief and rage. She understood. If there was a way to make Hermione play darts it was with a picture of Dumbledore, Snape or Voldemort as a target. James took a walk away from them and declared that they could end this conversation later. She fell asleep with Regulus' hands caressing her scalp and her head on his lap.